Role-playing with a new bunch of people tonight.

A bunch of new friends from one of the live-action Vampire games invited me to start up an AD&D campaign with them. So, gaming addict that I am, I said yes. So tonight we get together for the first time to roll up characters and such.

Now I know they are all fairly decent role-players, given my experience with them at the Vampire game, but... Role playing with a new group of people is like trying a new restaurant. You like the type of cuisine they serve, you'll be there with some buddies, the prices are right, they're not going to make you wear a tie... but you've never tasted the food.

As anyone who has spent time playing with different groups of role-players knows, they can be broken down into three categories:

The Good

Good gamers are ingenious people who use their characters in clever ways. They are players who take the time to figure out their character's motivations and personality, and try to play the way the character would act in the situation. Then the game turns into a story. This is a lot of fun.

The Bad

A lot of gamers just don't get it. They seem to think that the point of going into the dungeon is simply to kill orcs and get the gold. They don't care that Shalum's God sent him on this Holy Quest to recover the Lost Artifact of Hubba Hubba. Nah, they just roll their dice and wait to see how many hit points of damage they do. Boring.

This class includes those who just don't get it at ALL. The people who've been dragged into the game by their friends, who don't understand why these characters would be adventuring instead of settling down with that nice girl from the inn, and who keep dragging their damn livestock with them into the dungeon and whining when the bugbear eats their goat Fluffy.

The Ugly

Power gamers. 'Munchkins'. The guys who know the rulebook so well that every time the game master deviates from the Holy Writ that they blurt out things like, 'Nuh uh! Page 157 clearly states that my character is allowed a plus 3 to hit when he is above the target by more than 5 and a half feet. Oh yeah, don't forget my 32% bonus from my Wisdom statistic when calculating my Experience Points, kay?'

These guys ruin the story. If the game master changes the rules, it's because the story requires it. Go with the flow, moron.

Point is, you never know what you are going to get. There ain't no Gamer Critic you can look up and read a review on this bunch of players. You just roll the dice and take your chances.

Okay. Here I go. Wish me luck.

i want to play with THIS bunch (if you can't read it, click for the original)

Lots of luck. Lots and lots.

Talk about gaming and stuff.

So how'd it go already?

Take me home, big fella